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Phils showing signs of turnaround

CINCINNATI - It was a week that started with a postponement caused by bitter, blustery weather, then a lopsided loss, then a gut-wrenching defeat in extra innings.

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz tags out Reds' Brandon Phillips in sixth inning.
Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz tags out Reds' Brandon Phillips in sixth inning.Read more

CINCINNATI - It was a week that started with a postponement caused by bitter, blustery weather, then a lopsided loss, then a gut-wrenching defeat in extra innings.

It was a week that featured Charlie Manuel being caught on tape losing his cool, general manager Pat Gillick feeling the need to give his manager a vote of confidence less than 3 weeks into the season, Opening Day starter Brett Myers being moved to the bullpen and reigning NL MVP Ryan Howard missing three games with a sore left knee.

It was a week that also included closer Tom Gordon blowing his second save opportunity of the season with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the ninth as the Phillies fell to 4-11 and Manuel calling a team meeting the next day that lasted so long batting practice had to be canceled.

So everything is relative.

Most of the time there's no reason to pump up the volume of the postgame music or feel any sense of accomplishment about winning two games in a row. By any measure, it's a modest accomplishment at best.

The Phillies, no doubt remembering the proverb that a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step, allowed themselves to bask just a little in the afterglow of yesterday's 9-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

With Cole Hamels' 15-strikeout, complete-game gem on Saturday night, the Phillies have now won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

"That's what we call a winning streak," joked centerfielder Aar-on Rowand. "It's a start."

The Phillies still have a long way to go to undo the damage they inflicted on themselves with yet another slow start. They are still five games under .500. They still trail the first-place Braves by 5 1/2 games. They still have the third-worst record in all of baseball.

Still . . .

There are a some reasons for hope amid the early wreckage.

Coming into the season, starting pitching was supposed to be a strength of this team. That wasn't immediately apparent when the season started but, in the last six games, the rotation has a 2.82 earned run average and has held opposing hitters to a .197 batting average.

That trend continued yesterday when Freddy Garcia, who opened the season on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, made his second start of the season.

Although he was able to pitch just five-plus innings, he was effective and showed improvement over his first time out. Against the Reds he threw more fastballs that topped 90 mph and even hit 95 once.

"I thought he did well, considering everything," Manuel said. "He popped some fastballs pretty good. He knows how to pitch. He has a good feel for pitching."

Said Garcia: "I feel good. I have to learn to trust my fastball again. I'm getting stronger, getting my power back."

It's no secret that clutch hitting has been an issue. Going into yesterday's game, the Phillies were batting .191 with runners in scoring position. Yesterday, they went 4-for-12 in those situations plus a sacrifice fly while scoring a season-high nine runs.

Of course, when a team's 3-4 hitters aren't producing, the offense is likely to sputter. And that had been the case with Chase Utley and Howard. There are signs, though, that both could be coming out of their funks.

Utley reached base six times in nine plate appearances in the last two games. He had three doubles, a homer, scored four times and drove in four runs.

Howard returned to the lineup yesterday and homered in the ninth inning. What was more impressive was that he is starting to hit the ball up the middle instead of trying to pull everything. He put the ball in play three times yesterday and each time he hit the ball to center, including a sacrifice fly to the warning track in the first.

All this could turn out to be a mirage, of course, but the sense in the clubhouse yesterday was that a corner had been turned and that Saturday's meeting had something to do with it.

"I can tell you it definitely had a positive effect," Rowand said. "It sent a message. It was a reality check, you know."

Utley said winning back-to-back games can "absolutely" raise the team's confidence. "Time will tell," he said. "We're starting to swing the bats a little better."

Added Manuel: "We'll know something a few days, maybe a week, from now. We have to keep up our intensity. Hopefully we'll have a good homestand. I mean, we will have a good homestand."

Well, there's another old saying that momentum is only as good as your next starting pitcher. And when the Phillies take the field tonight, it will be Adam Eaton against Houston's Chris Sampson, a new day, a clean slate.

It's fair to say, though, that the Phillies' week ended a whole lot better than it started. *